Preoperative anxiety and fear: a comparison of assessments by patients and anesthesia and surgery residents

We sought to compare self-assessment of preoperative anxiety levels and selection of worst fears by surgical patients with the assessments made by the anesthesia and surgery residents providing intraoperative care for those patients. One hundred inpatients at a Veterans Affairs hospital (Group 1) and 45 patients at a University hospital (Group 2) were asked to complete a brief questionnaire; the residents were asked to complete the same questionnaire. Group 1 results showed that median patient visual analog scale (VAS) scores were lower for anxiety about anesthesia compared to surgery (16 vs 22, P < or = 0.05). Anesthesia resident VAS scores were higher than patient or surgery resident scores. Neither type of resident was able to predict their individual patient's VAS score (Kendall's tau). The fear chosen with the greatest incidence by Group 1 patients and residents was "whether surgery would work". A significant number of residents (34%, anesthesia or surgery, P < or = 0.05) matched their patient's fear choice. Residents commonly chose fears related to their specialty (e.g., anesthesia residents chose anesthesia-related fears more often than surgery residents, 50% vs 28%, P < or = 0.001). In Group 2, residents demonstrated an improved ability to predict patient scores. For instance, both surgery and anesthesia residents were able to predict individual University patient VAS scores (P < or = 0.01). The fear chosen with the greatest frequency by Group 2 patients was "pain after the operation". Sixty percent of anesthesia residents matched their patients' fear choice (P < or = 0.001). This study indicates a variable ability of anesthesia and surgery residents to predict patient anxiety and fear which may be due, in part, to difficulty in understanding a Veterans Affairs hospital patient population.     

Present status of the conceptual design of the EU test blanket systems

The EU Breeding Blanket Programme aims the testing of two blankets concept in ITER in form of Test Blanket Modules. In the equatorial port #16 the two EU TBMs – a solid and a liquid blanket concept – will be exposed to the plasma and the complex system of their auxiliary systems dedicated to heat and Tritium removal will be integrated in the surrounding ITER buildings. The development of the conceptual design of the EU TBM System is the main objective of the Grant F4E-2008-GRT-09 contract launched by F4E and assigned to a European Consortium. This paper presents an overview of the results after about 20 months of activities: namely, the design of the main sub-systems of the EU TBSs and a concept of integration in ITER.     

Enabling autonomicity in wireless mesh networks with the ETSI AFI GANA reference model

The distributed nature of wireless mesh networks (WMNs) allows them to benefit from multiple autonomic functionalities. However, the existing landscape of self‐x solutions (eg, self‐configuration) is fragmented and the lack of a standardized framework through which interoperable autonomics can be developed has been hampering adoption and deployment of autonomics in real‐world service networks. There is a need for a standardized architectural framework that enables to comprehensively support and integrate interoperable components for autonomicity in WMNs. Such an architecture (autonomicity‐enabled wireless mesh architecture) is currently being standardized by the working group called Evolution of Management towards Autonomic Future Internet (AFI) in the European Telecommunications Standards Institute within the Network Technologies Technical Committee. The proposed autonomic wireless mesh architecture is an instantiation of the AFI GANA (Generic Autonomic Network Architecture) reference model, a standards‐based approach to autonomics. This paper complements and extends the early version of the architecture by further detailing the architectural principles and providing experimental and validation results. First, we provide a brief overview of the AFI GANA reference model and then show how each of its building blocks can be instantiated for WMNs. We evaluate the proposed architecture by implementing and testing the 4 basic self‐x functionalities defined by the GANA model. The provided guidelines can now help researchers and engineers build autonomicity‐enabled WMNs using a standardized framework that enables adoption and deployment of autonomics by industry, thereby enabling researchers and engineers to contribute to the further evolution of the standard in the European Telecommunications Standards Institute.     

Sensory dysfunction in fibromyalgia patients with implications for pathogenic mechanisms

This study, addressing etiologic and pathogenic aspects of fibromyalgia (FM), aimed at examining whether sensory abnormalities in FM patients are generalized or confined to areas with spontaneous pain. Ten female FM patients and 10 healthy, age-matched females participated. The patients were asked to rate the intensity of ongoing pain using a visual analogue scale (VAS) at the site of maximal pain, the homologous contralateral site and two homologous sites with no or minimal pain. Quantitative sensory testing was performed for assessment of perception thresholds in these four sites. Von Frey filaments were used to test low-threshold mechanoreceptive function. Pressure pain sensitivity was assessed with a pressure algometer and thermal sensitivity with a Thermotest. In addition the stimulus-response curve of pain intensity as a function of graded nociceptive heat stimulation was studied at the site of maximal pain and at the homologous contralateral site. FM patients had increased sensitivity to non-painful warmth (P < 0.01) over painful sites and a tendency to increased sensitivity to non-painful cold (P < 0.06) at all sites compared to controls, but there was no difference between groups regarding tactile perception thresholds. Compared to controls, patients demonstrated increased sensitivity to pressure pain (P < 0.001), cold pain (P < 0.001) and heat pain (P < 0.02) over all tested sites. The stimulus-response curve was parallely shifted to the left of the curve obtained from controls (P < 0.003). Intragroup comparisons showed that patients had increased sensitivity to pressure pain (P < 0.01) and light touch (P < 0.05) in the site of maximal pain compared to the homologous contralateral site. These findings could be explained in terms of sensitization of primary afferent pathways or as a dysfunction of endogenous systems modulating afferent activity. However, the generalized increase in sensitivity found in FM patients was unrelated to spontaneous pain and thus most likely due to a central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction. The additional hyperphenomena related to spontaneous pain are probably dependent on disinhibition/facilitation of nociceptive afferent input from normal (or ischemic) muscles.     

Ethylene and 1‐hexene sorption in LLDPE under typical gas‐phase reactor conditions: Experiments

The sorption of ethylene and 1‐hexene and their mixture in three poly(ethylene‐co‐1‐hexene) samples is measured gravimetrically at temperatures 70, 90, and 150°C and pressures 0–30 bar. Gravimetric sorption measurements are supplemented with microscopic observations of swelling of polyethylene particles caused by sorption and the extent of swelling is found to be significant. Experimental data are compared with predictions of PC‐SAFT (perturbed chain—‐statistical associating fluid theory) equation of state. Comparison of sorption data in semicrystalline polymer (measured at 70 and 90°C) and amorphous polymer (at 150°C) demonstrates the constraining effect of semicrystalline structure. Solubilities of penetrants in investigated samples are not observed to depend on the content of 1‐hexene in copolymers. The solubility of the mixture of ethylene and 1‐hexene is smaller than the sum of solubilities of individual components at 70 and 90°C. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 1124–1136, 2006     

Inkjet Printing of Perovskites for Breaking Performance–Temperature Tradeoffs in Fabric-Based Thermistors

A novel low-temperature route is developed for inkjet printing of the perovskite Cs₂SnI₆, to create wearable negative-temperature-coefficient thermistors with unprecedented performance on thermally sensitive fabrics. A low processing temperature of 120 °C is achieved by creating a stable and printable ink using binary metal iodide salts, which is thermally transformed into dense Cs₂SnI₆ crystals after printing. The optimally printed Cs₂SnI₆ shows a temperature measurement range up to 120 °C, high sensitivity (4400 K), and temperature coefficient of resistivity (0.05 °C⁻¹), and stability under ambient environmental conditions and bending. The approach breaks a critical tradeoff that has hindered wearable fabric-based thermistors by enabling damage-free fabrication of devices with commercially comparable performance, evincing significant applications in multifunctional textiles and beyond.     

The limits of pretending

Abstract

We propose that pretending is a cognitive faculty which enables us to create and immerse ourselves in possible worlds. These worlds range from the veridical to the fantastic and are frequently realised as stories varying from the fictional to the scientific. This same ability enables us to become immersed and engaged in such stories (which we may have created) too. Whether we are shooting “aliens” or are engaged in a passionate romance, these experiences are facilitated by our ability to pretend. While it might seem that we can imagine or make-believe anything, in practice there are limits to what we can pretend. We draw upon both theoretical perspectives and from the work practice of animators. By identifying these limits, we are, of course, also defining the nature of pretending.     

Formation and Distribution of Rubbery Phase in High Impact Poly(propylene) Particles

This paper reconstructs the principle of rubber incorporation in high impact poly(propylene) (hiPP) particles. The detailed information about the pores and rubber distribution inside and on the surface of hiPP particles is obtained by micro‐computed tomography and atomic force microscopy. The strong effect of homopolymer origin on hiPP particle morphology and rubber distribution is demonstrated. To obtain the most homogeneous rubber distribution, the low homopolymer porosity is required. The initial particle porosity has a negligible effect on the thickness of the rubber layer on the particle surface at the medium rubber content. The rubber forms not only along the iPP primary particles and directly or close to the pores but also on or close to the particle surface rather than it flows there. The evidence for these claims is based on the systematic investigation in dependence on EPR content, homopolymer particle porosity (prepared by different catalysts) and antistatic agent deactivating catalyst close to particle surface.